22 objects returned from Israel; one figurine requires authenticity checks
The handover took place at the National Archaeological Museum. The group comprises 21 vessels and a bronze female figurine whose authenticity requires further investigation.
Twenty-two objects illegally removed from Greece were handed over by Israel to the Culture Ministry on 13 October 2026. The handover took place in the Altar Hall of the National Archaeological Museum.
What was returned
According to the ministry, the group comprises 15 Attic vessels, six vessels from Corinthian workshops and one bronze female figurine. The Attic group consists of eleven black-figure, three red-figure and one black-glazed vessel. The pottery dates to the Archaic and Classical periods, with the Corinthian vessels dating to the Archaic period.
The figurine remains under examination
The official statement explicitly says that the bronze figurine's authenticity requires further investigation. Its return therefore does not amount to completed scientific authentication.
How they were found
The objects were located and seized by the Israel Antiquities Authority's Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit. Greece's Culture Ministry describes this as the first return of antiquities from Israel to Greece. The handover has taken place; it is not a future announcement. No public exhibition schedule is given.
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